Oasis Magazine - Cairns & Tropical North Queensland Issue 28 - Feb | Mar 2019 | Page 23

I’m curious to know how you
both first become interested
in the opera and musical the-
atre?
MARINA: Basically, I had no
choice!
Haha! I grew up
surrounded by all types of music,
as both of my parents were music
lovers and amateur singers.
I sang folk, pop and opera grow-
ing up. I was studying opera at
university, and was cast in a
production
of
Pirates
of
Penzance.
It wasn’t really until then, when I
was working in a musical, that I
really delved into that particular
genre of music.
DAVID: I had a similar childhood,
growing up in a very musical
household.
My dad was a
stalwart of the local musical
theatre scene and he played all
the leading baritone roles of the
day.
My first show was Oliver with Dad
when I was 11 years old; he was
Fagin and I was the Artful Dodger.
Then I became involved in rock
and jazz bands and later I was
composing music.
Through a music theatre piece I
wrote, based on Macbeth, my
voice was heard at a producer’s
“backers audition” whilst I sang
and demonstrated a few scenes
from the show.
It was The Victorian Opera who
invited me to perform in a new
version of Pirates of Penzance,
which was both Marina's and my
first professional production. I
had absolutely no idea I would be
still doing it over 30 years later.
With a career that spans
more than three decades,
you’ve obviously achieved
some incredible heights.
What has been your career
highlight to date?
MARINA: I find it hard to pinpoint
just one career highlight. Every
experience has been wonderful
in its own way.
The Phantom of the Opera is
definitely a favourite, but perhaps
the best for me was performing
Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly quite
recently. My highlight is always
what I am doing right now. I love
it all.
DAVID: My equal love of AFL foot-
ball and music would mean that
singing in the middle of the MCG
at the grand final is pretty high on
the list. The only thing that would
top it would be if my team,
Melbourne, had been playing on
that day and had won!
You’re one of the first perfor-
mances in the fabulous new
Cairns
Performing
Arts
Centre, which opened in
December. What can guests
expect at your Cairns Show?
MARINA: Cairns audiences can
expect a night of musical theatre
classics through to Opera, Celtic
folk music and popular classics,
as well of lots of laughter and
backstage tales.
It’s always a very intimate and
relaxed show.
DAVID: We’ll also be offering a
mixture of well-known songs and
arias from shows and operas that
Marina and I have performed
over our careers.
Both of us have a wide love of
music and are not limited to the
respective genres we are known
for, so the audience should
expect a few surprises! There
may be some Celtic, pop and
more!
Audiences have also been
surprised by the up close and
personal nature of the show and
the amount of humour we can
inject. Along with our good friend
David Cameron, who is the music
director and pianist, there is a
beautiful camaraderie and a
really casual vibe on stage that
allows the audience a “behind the
scenes” look at life behind the
red velvet curtain.
Add to that a fair bit of sponta-
neity and the show alive and
buzzing every night. Marina and I
love performing together - which
might explain why we have been
doing it for so long! I truly believe
that mutual respect really shows
through our performance.
You had a sold out show in
Cairns last year, have you
any favourite places, memo-
ries or stories about Cairns?
MARINA: Coming from chilly
Melbourne, any time in the tropi-
cal north is a joy.
DAVID: It was my first visit, so this
year I am really looking forward
to exploring a little more. The
Esplanade is just stunning, and I
had a great run there last time.
Running is such a great way to
find out of the way places.
We had a fantastic sold out show
last time, with a wonderful audi-
ence, so I’m hoping to have a
similar time this year. And
Marina has family connections in
Cairns, so we enjoyed a lovely
family meal with them after the
last show. And I’ve been told to
visit the aquarium - there’s a new
restuarant there I believe. And I
must confess, I loved visiting
crocodiles last time! I hope I get
to see more this year!
Marina Prior & David Hobson
will be performing at Cairns
Performing Arts Centre
on Saturday 9 March in their
show ‘The 2 Of Us’. Tickets
are available from Ticketlink.